Ashley Varner, VP of Communications                                   Charli Brown, Communications Specialist
avarner@freedomfoundation.com                                         cbrown@freedomfoundation.com
O: 434-326-4183

(PITTSBURGH, PA) – Public employees in downtown Pittsburgh still on the fence about breaking free from their union will soon get a live demonstration of just how much doing so would save them every year.

The Freedom Foundation, a national public policy organization that specializes in exposing and combating the corrupt activities by public-sector unions, will stage an informational demonstration on Oct. 19 at 23 Market Place, the intersection of Forbes Avenue and Market Street, in Pittsburgh.

The highlight will be an enclosed “money hurricane” inside of which will be swirling the equivalent number of dollars the average government employee pays every year in union dues — and could keep in their own pockets by leaving their union.

“It’s easy to forget about the money when it just disappears out of your paycheck automatically before you even see it,” said Freedom Foundation Pennsylvania Director Hunter Tower. “Seeing it all stacked up in one place drives home the point about how much the union takes from you and whether you’re getting value in return.”

Government employee unions claim they exist to advocate for the workers in their bargaining unit, he explained, but numerous studies have shown they spend only about 10 percent of their budget on representational activities.

The majority of the workers’ dues money is wasted on politics and lobbying, in addition to lining the pockets of well-paid union officials.

Which explains why they fight so ferociously to keep every member in the fold.

The Freedom Foundation has helped nearly 126,000 government employees across the country opt out of union bondage since 2018, when the U.S. Supreme Court in Janus v. AFSCME agreed that mandatory membership, dues and fees in the public workplace are a violation of the First Amendment.

“For generations, public employees in about half the country had no choice but to participate in a union if they wanted to keep their jobs,” Tower said. “They became conditioned to simply allowing the union to take their money and spend it on whatever it liked. On paper, Janus corrected that, but it’s hard to change people’s perceptions.”

In addition to the money hurricane, the Freedom Foundation presentation will include advisors trained to answer questions about the opt-out procedure and workers’ rights.

The event will run from 9 a.m.  to 6:30 p.m.